A divided Wheeling village board has approved a new layout plan for Chicago Executive Airport that includes eliminating one runway.
The proposed removal of Runway 6/24, a 3,677-foot airstrip that runs east-west and bisects the airport’s primary and secondary runways, has met strong opposition from small plane pilots who regularly use the airport. But it’s touted by Chicago Executive leaders as a safety measure that allows them to refocus resources on more pressing needs.
Wheeling and Prospect Heights co-own the airport, which handles about 80,000 corporate, charter and light-aircraft flights each year. Prospect Heights is scheduled to vote on the proposal Jan. 27.
The new layout is the centerpiece of the airport’s updated master plan, a six-year process that cost $1.5 million. The plan does not call for an expansion of the airport beyond the 470 acres it currently occupies. Airport officials last year dropped any consideration of expanding runways after residents and elected officials objected.
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